July Moon

(8 quatrains)

1. new moon

swallowtail glides black through a cherry tree’s shade;

the parking strip’s California poppies:

an assemblage of orange decoupage suns—

whatever moon there is: blue in this high sky

2. waxing crescent

three lime-green trikes lined up on the concrete porch,

one faded red ride-on fire truck parked below

on the patio—playground gate’s still open:

crescent drifts off to sleep in gathering clouds

3. half moon

the hummingbird hovers, wings shifting between

what’s seen & what’s imagined; it balances

at sunset, a silhouette near the black plum:

half moon’s equilibrium in fading blue

4. waxing gibbous

the scrub jay’s plumage forms a map of the sky

except for the sunset’s yellow cirrus glow;

traffic seems invisible as the bird flies:

the moon’s silver eyeball is gazing higher

5. full moon

the clematis has unfurled its purple cross

in the shadow of the board fence, below the

string of prayer flags—one white flag soaks up white light:

moon rising through lattice into black heaven

6. waning gibbous

floor lamp casts a white oval against the wall,

white pedestal fan churns the living room air;

slats on the white blinds have been slanted open:

moon bracketed by clouds rises between them

7. last quarter

the sidewalk’s hump over the tree’s knotted root

is strewn with ripe cherries, some crushed, some intact;

a single fruit falls, rolls down the sloped pavement:

half moon tips toward the branches’ tangled curve

8. waning crescent

white daylily blossoms speckled orange nod

sleepy above the sidewalk in this noon breeze--

marigolds reflect an occasional sun’s

bloom between clouds that hide the moon’s last petal

Jack Hayes

© 2017